DIRECTOR OF North Yoga Math in Austria Yogiraj Shivendra Nath criticised Swami Ramdev for “commercialising yoga”.
He said charging a huge entry fee for teaching yoga was against the spirit of Indian culture.
Talking to mediapersons, he demanded that yoga be given the status of a national game as other countries had already included it in sports activities.
He stressed the need to include yoga in international sports meets.
“When judo can be a part of Olympics, why can’t yoga enjoy the same status?”
He wondered why the government was not including yoga in the educational syllabus, when athletes and physiotherapists did yoga for physical fitness.
Responding to a question, Nath said there was no confirmation of a report regarding allegations levelled by CPM leader Brinda Karat against Swami Ramdev of mixing animal bones in medicines produced in his laboratory. However, he said it seemed to be a conspiracy by multinational pharmaceutical companies to damage the credibility of yoga and meditation as therapies.
He said the Ayurvedic medicine system was under fire from vested interests as allopathic medicine companies wanted to cash in on the illness of peoples. He said yoga was an integral part of Indian culture and there was a deep-rooted conspiracy to damage it. Nath said he was a citizen of Austria and yoga had become very popular in other countries in the last 50 years. He claimed that yoga could check high blood pressure and other health problems.
{{/usCountry}}He said the Ayurvedic medicine system was under fire from vested interests as allopathic medicine companies wanted to cash in on the illness of peoples. He said yoga was an integral part of Indian culture and there was a deep-rooted conspiracy to damage it. Nath said he was a citizen of Austria and yoga had become very popular in other countries in the last 50 years. He claimed that yoga could check high blood pressure and other health problems.
{{/usCountry}}He will also deliver a keynote address at Zoology Laboratory Centre in DDU Gorakhpur University on January 19 on the importance of yoga.